Merpati is a high school student in the Muslim country of Indonesia. Muslims worship Allah, who they believe is the creator of the world. They do not believe salvation from sin is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is against the Indonesian government’s rules to lead a non-Christian to Christ.

One thousand students go to Merpati’s school, but only three of them are Christians. Merpati is one of the three. Her family is Muslim. Here is her story. (The story below is translated, paraphrased, and edited from original testimonies. Merpati’s name has been changed to protect her identity.)

“After I became a Christian, I dared to bring my Bible to school. All my friends, my Muslim friends, are curious about the Book. They also want to read the Bible, so I let them.

“Many of my Muslim friends, who have problems, come to me to ask advice. I tell them to pray and ask the living God for help. Some are interested to know about Jesus, and there are a few who listen to my testimony. I realize the consequences of sharing my testimony, but if I get expelled from school, I will not be afraid. I will not stop testifying about God because I want all my friends saved.

“Some of the Muslims avoid me. They mock and insult me when I walk by them saying, ‘Hallelujah,’ or, ‘Watch out, Jesus is passing by.’ Sometimes they read verses from the Koran when I pass them.”

Hiding
“Before I believed in Jesus, my father took me to my aunt’s house. Christian magazines were lying on the table. I read the magazines and learned about Jesus. A month later I watched a baptism in my aunt’s bathtub and decided to become a Christian. I was 13 years old.

“I would read the Bible after my parents had fallen asleep. When one of my parents woke up, I would close the Bible quickly. My parents never knew it was a Bible because it looked like a dictionary. For three years I hid my Bible…at the bottom of my bookcase under all of my school books.

“When I read the Bible, I learned many things about love. I found things that contradicted teachings I had received from my Muslim teachers at school. They taught that Christianity is a false teaching and that Jesus did not die on the cross.

“None of my family knew I had become a Christian. They didn’t know that every Sunday I went to church. I told my parents I visited my friend or went to the supermarket. But, I felt no peace in my heart. I was standing on two different spots: Christian and Muslim.”

Proclaiming Jesus
“At the public school, every girl had to wear a Muslim head covering or be punished. I wore the covering for one month. But after that I didn’t want to wear it anymore, because I wanted to proclaim my faith openly.

“The news about my new faith spread widely at school. My teacher and the school counselor called me to the office and questioned me. ‘Did other Christians persuade you to become one of them by giving you money?’ they asked. I said to them: ‘I believe Jesus because He saved me and loves me. I became a Christian because of my heart instead of for money.’

“My family found out what happened at school from my Muslim friends. One Sunday after I returned from church, my parents dragged me into a room in our house. Twelve people were in that room including my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, older sister, cousin, and neighbor. I admitted to them I had become a Christian.

“‘Show me your Bible,’ said my aunt. They intended to burn my Bible, but my uncle said, ‘It is useless to burn her Bible; the words are in her heart.’ They kept asking me questions, and I answered them patiently.”

“Jesus is the Only Way”
“My brother-in-law is a Muslim preacher. In the evening he called me and said, ‘Don’t ever come in my house again.’ His words hurt my heart.

“My aunt and uncle said my parents’ house belonged to their father, and they had a right to kick me out. When they were kicking me out, my mother tried to hold on to me, but my uncle and aunt wouldn’t let her. I went to stay with other Christians.

“Actually, I am sad because I have lost people I loved, but I don’t want to lose Jesus. Now I have a new family in Jesus. I will keep loving Jesus forever. No one can separate me from Christ’s love. (See Romans 8:35-39.)

“I would like to tell students in America: ‘Do not believe in other gods, but believe in Jesus, because Jesus is the only way. He’s the only one who can save us.”

• What are some of the difficulties Merpati has faced because of her faith in Christ?
Will you ask God to give her strength to face those difficulties? Please pray for her
Muslim family, too. Pray they will listen and understand when she
talks with them about Jesus.

• When people come to Merpati for advice, she talks to them about praying to God.
Can you encourage someone who confides in you to turn to God?